Theater of the Absurd.(South Korea)

South Korean politics can be a theater of the absurd. Just last week 37 loyalists bolted the ruling Millennium Democratic Party. They had been considered staunch supporters of President Roh Moo Hyun, and analysts interpreted their defection as a prelude to Roh's own abandonment of the MDP ahead of legislative elections next April. His apparent strategy: align himself with the small rebel group, then plead for voters to support its candidates for National Assembly seats.

Why would a president abandon his own party? Because Roh, after barely seven months in office, is a virtual lame duck. Blamed for a painful recession at home, hounded by Washington to deploy thousands of combat troops to Iraq and unable to resolve North Korea's pressing nuclear problem, he is groping for political relevance. A new mandate under the banner of a fresh political party may be his last best hope to salvage a presidency that won't actually run out until 2008.

To be sure, Roh bears much of the blame for his troubles. With the new pro-Roh party occupying only 15 percent of parliamentary seats, Roh now has little legislative support, making him a true lame duck. But the root of his impotence may be hardwired into South Korea's political system. Limited to a single five-year term, South Korean leaders enter office with an impossible "to do" list. They must set agendas, establish party unity at the fractious National Assembly, navigate policies through the bureaucracy and maintain sky-high approval ratings--all without an appreciable honeymoon, let alone the promise of a second term if they excel. Without a second shot at the Blue House, it's virtually impossible for South Korean presidents to keep their own party members in line. Almost immediately after an election, a president's allies start looking for the next political bandwagon. "We have to ask ourselves: how viable is the single-term presidency?" says Lee Chung Min, a political scientist at Yonsei University. "I would argue that it's time for a change."

Today Roh's toughest foes are lawmakers from his own party. They no longer shield him from opposition attacks in Parliament and have halted efforts to implement his policies and initiatives. On Friday, MDP and original opposition parties joined hands and rejected the appointment of a new national audit chief in a parliamentary confirmation vote. What's more, they've supported motions to summon presidential relatives and associates to answer unsubstantiated ...